Like my good friend and fellow reviewer Dexter Pearson, I really don't enjoy the whole Bratz concept. Pre-teen girls acting like glamour models and failing to appreciate the finer things in life, focusing on money, clothes and dressing their pets, isn't something I find appealing, and it would take a lot of pouting and sulking from any kids I might have to get me to buy them any Bratz merchandise. But it seems I'm a videogame reviewer and I've been tasked with informing you, the loyal reader, on Bratz: Forever Diamondz, part of a series of videogames for the console and handheld market, based on the latest Diamondz line of Bratz dolls, as well as the latest computer generated movie. The problem is that the developers have created the DS version as if it was a GBA with better graphics.

Playing as one of four Bratz, each of a different ethnicity and style to make sure there's a Bratz character for every girl out there, you slowly walk around an open area, choosing petty goals to accomplish, such as doing your make-up and then not having it show up on your character, dressing up your pets with clothes you buy in stores, changing your own clothes, and more! But wait, where do these girls get all this money, or "Bling" as it's called in this game? Not from their parents - no, these are working girls [But obviously not in a child prostitution sense. Ed]. A road trip is in order so the girls can enter a new competition, and along the way they'll be stopping in cities to pick up the latest clothes, as well as water ski, skate, do the catwalk and enter their pets into competitions, whilst picking up bling along the way. And I mean literally - it's just sitting there on the ground. These girls get it all!

What Bratz: Forever Diamondz strips down to is yet another drab collection of mini-games, very much like the Cars videogame for the DS. Making sure to cash in on the DS's biggest hit, Forever Diamondz also includes a watered down nintendogs recreation that has you talking to your pet, or taking them for walks, which are as eventful as taking your actual pet for a walk, minus the pet actually doing something. It just walks, and walks, and walks until you tell it to stop and quit. The rest of the pet system isn't a bad attempt and can get pretty involving when training your animal, but it's no nintendogs.

Most of the mini-gamez... er, I mean mini-games, involve nothing more than simple swipes of the stylus along the touch screen to make the Bratz perform certain actions. It gets old fast, but I suppose that young girls out there will enjoy playing as their favorite stereotype, as they model and water-slide. It's just a shame that the only likeness in the game is visual, as it features no voiceovers and very little in the way of any sound effects. Whereas on the consoles the voiceovers play a huge part of the game and really immerse the player, the DS version lacks not only that but just about anything remotely positive about the sound effects. For instance, during the water-skiing event the only noise emitted is a looped water swoosh. Cut scenes involve still screenshots of what I presume is the film, with no background music and only subtitles to keep us up with the genius storyline. Yes I'm being sarcastic, and I have to tell you that because like the game, you can't hear me talking. The music is catchy and repetitive - one of those qualities is good, but the other one manages to twist it into a horribly wretched and evil thing.

The graphics are the standout feature of the Bratz game, as each character is clearly identifiable right away, and walking around the room gives you the chance to interact with other Bratz or objects, with some pretty nice walking animations, even if they are a bit slow. That's not to say the graphics are anything special, but they aren't bad either. It doesn't really matter though, because the young ones playing won't care too much - they might care that the game can be beaten in one short sitting, though.

Out of all the mini-game collections on the Nintendo DS, Bratz: Forever Diamondz is easily one of the worst and it appeals to such a small market (and one that won't care too much about how bad this title is) that it's obviously a quick fix for the giant corporation that owns them, and who is also laughing at all of us right now. I don't think you need me to tell you that this is one to avoid for anyone who isn't a young child, and if you're a parent then this is only advised for those who have kids that absolutely, positively adore the dollz.

Reviewed by Christopher Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).